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( No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. S. 0 EURO H. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR PIL'IERING.

No. 560,777. Patented May 26, 1896.

rwoni'ov" W 7' \lfi T A u im m A 3 Sheets -Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

B. S. CHURCH PROUESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR FILTERING.

Patented May 26 lllll 111111111116 Hflm11111411111 111111111114 I I I 1I a 1 4 I I I I I 1 I u 1 ANDRE" BGRAHAM. PHOTO-LIYHOYWASHINGTON DYC (NoModel.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

B. S. CHURCH. PROGESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR FILTERING. 7 No. 560,777.Patented May 26, 1896.

emi'or'i z @504 AN DREW BJSRAHAM. PHOTO-UTHO.WASHINGI'DN.DC

through the filtering-bed.

UNITED STAT S BENJAMIN S. CHURCEI,

PATENT Orr-non.

OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF AN D APPARATUS FOR FILTERING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No'. 560,777, dated May 26,1896. Application filed November 20, 1891. Serial No. 412,528. (Nomodel.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN Cannon, of the city and county of New York,State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Process of andApparatus for Filtering, of which the following is a true and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichform a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the construction and operation of filters, andprincipally, though not exclusively, to the cleansing of filters by thereversal of the current of water Filters have heretofore beenconstructed in which reversed currents of water were made to pass upthrough the filtering-bed for the purpose of cleansing it and in whichthis reversed current was passed through but a portion of the prefer toconstruct them.

filter-bed at a time, the rest of the bed remaining substantiallyunaffected until reached in turn by the ascending current, which wasdirected into one section of the bed after another. I have discoveredthat a much more effectual cleansing of the bed can be accomplished bydirecting a substantially uniform current of Water upward through all ofits parts and at the same time directing a current of greater intensityand volume through different sections of the bed seriatim; and' thismethod of cleansing the'filters forms an important part of my invention.I have also devised mechanical devices especially adapted for my newmethod and certain other improvements in the construction of the filtersand its parts, all of which will be best described in connection withthe drawings in wvhich they are illustrated, and in which Figure 1 is avertical section through the center of a filter-tank provided with myimproved devices; Fig. 2, a sectional view, on a larger scale, showingthe details of construe tion of the central valve-actuating rods andstirrers Fig. 3, a plan View of the filter, taken on the section-line 12 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, an enlarged plan view of one of the divisionalsegments constructed in the manner in which I Fig. 5 is a cross-sectionon the line 3 at of Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and 7 indicate cross-sections taken,for instance, on the line 5 6 of Fig. 5, illustrating alternativeconstructions of the nozzles or perforations in 'sion-valve on the line11 12 of Fig. 12.

the top of the divisional segments. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view ofthe valve, taken on the line 7 8 of Fig; 2. Fig. 9 is a cross-section onthe line 9 10 of Fig. 2. Fig. 10 is a perspective View of a slottedsleeve, which is a detail of the construction shown. Fig. 11 is across-sectional view through the admis- Fig. 12 is a cross-sectionalview of the valve on the line 13 14. of Fig. 11, and Fig. 13 is a planView ofone of the stirring-arms illustrated in elevation in Figs. 1 and2.

Ais the filtering-tank B, the water-supply pipe, having a branch B,which enters the top of the filter and, as shown, terminates in theautomatic admission-valve 0. Also connected wit-l1 the supply-pipe Bisthe pipe 13 from which leads the pipe B which enters the bottom of thefilter, connecting with the interior of the valve-chamber D.

B is the delivery-pipe connecting with pipe B and b, 17 and 19* valvessituated, respectively, in the pipes B, B and 13.

D is a valve-casing which, as shown, is of cylindrical form and connectsat the bottom with the pipe B Through the walls of the casing D areformed a series of apertures or openings (1 equal in number tothe'number of divisional sections into which the receiving and dischargeapparatus is divided. These apertures are of considerable verticalheight.

On the outside of the casing D and preferably cast integral with it arethe flanges D and D and the dividing-ribs D" D, &c., against the outeredges of which fits the exterior casing D The ribs D are equal in numberto the apertures cl, forming around the box D, in connection with theouter casing D a series of chambers cl, and into each of these chambersopens an aperture (1 formed in the periphery of the casing D D is avalve which fits neatly in the cylindrical casing D, but so as to have avertical motion within the casing as well as the capacity to rotatetherein. The valve D consists of a cylinderhaving an opening at itsclose or partially close, according to its vertical position in casingD, the apertures cl,

except at that aperture or apertures which register with the aperture (1By raisin g and lowering the valve D the apertures d can be uniformlyopened to any desired degree, while by rotating the valve the aperturesare brought seriat'im to register with the aperture 01 through whichthey can receive a greater supply of water than they could through theportions which lie beneath the bottom of the valve D I prefer to soconstruct the valve and easing that the valve D can never entirely closethe series of apertures d, and for this purpose I have indicated aseries of stops T T, &c., which prevent the valve from being pusheddownward below a determined point. The described motions may be given tothe valve D by any convenient mechanism, though I believe the mechanismshown and which I am about to describe will be found thoroughly welladapted for the purpose. Before describing the actuating mechanism Iwill call attention to the fact that D indicates the top of thevalve-box D, and D a hollow projecting boss extending upward from thecenter of this cover, this construction of the valve-cover beingespecially designed for use with the mechanism I am about to describe.

E E is a rod extending from the top of the valve D to above the top ofthe tank A. As shown, it consists of a portion E, formed integral withthe valve D and extending up through the hollow boss D and a portion E,attached to the portion E by a pin 6. At the top of the rod E Eis formedor attached a collar e, which rests in a stirrup F, pivoted on a leverG, which is fulcrumed on the link G and, as shown, has at its end aspring-pawl g working in a ratchet-rack G and for the purpose of holdingthe lever G in any desired position. By moving this lever G, and throughit the rod E E, the valve D is raised or 1owered at will and to anydesired extent.

H H is a hollow shaft, through which the rod E passes and which issuspended in the split box I, which, like the link G, is secured on acasting S, which, in turn, is supported by braces S, extending acrossthe top of the tank. The hollow shaft is conveniently made in two parts,as shown, and is attached to the rod E E in such a way as to cause saidrod to rotate with it while not interfering with its independentvertical motion. This attachment, as shown in the drawings, is made asfollows: A sleeve I1 issecured inside of the portion II of the hollowshaft by means of pins 7L3 lbs. The lower part of the sleeve 11 isslotted, as shown at 7L2, and into these slots project the ends of a pinI, which extends through the portion E of the central shaft. The sleeveI1 of course turns with the hollow rod II and by engaging the ends ofthe pin I causes the rod E and thevalve D attached to it, to rotate. Asshown, the lower end of the hollow shaft H extends over the hollow bossD and a water-packing, as indicated, should be provided to exclude waterand more particularly sand from the inside of the hollow shaft.

J is a miter-wheel secured 011 the upper portion II of the hollow shaftII II, and J a driving-gear made of miter form to properly engage thewheel J and connected with the driving-shaft J which may be actuated byany convenient mechanism and in either direction. It is evident, ofcourse, that the revolution of the shaft causing the valve D to revolvewith it will cause the aperture (1 to register in turn with each of theapertures (1. Connected with the valve-casin g are a series of receivingand delivering sectors K K K, &c., one of which registers with each ofthe apertures d in the casing D Preferably these are constructed asindicated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, consisting of a sector-shaped boxconnecting with one of the valve-apertures through a passage K andhaving on its upper side a series of perforations K each covered by ascreen K which may be of perforated sheet metal, woven wire, &c., andwhich is clamped to the sector conveniently by a ring K. I consider itbest to make these boxes of wood, in which case they would consist ofthe sides K K and K the top K and the bottom K the top and bottom beingsecured together by bolts K and prevented from collapsing by a series ofproper]y-distributed struts or supports K the bolts, as in theconstruction shown, passing through the supports. It is advisable thatthe exit-passage from the inside of the box should be somewhat smallerthan the opening covered by the screen K This may be accomplished eitherby boring the hole, as indicated at K or by the use of a metal plate, asindicated at K IVhile I prefer to use the sector-boxes above described,an arrangement of pipes, as indicated at K, Fig. 3, may convenientlyreplace them. In this arrangement a pipe 7t" is 0011- nected with theaperture d while from the side of pipe 7t projects a series ofperforated pipes 7& formed so as to fill up the desired segment in thebottom of the tank Passing next to the stirring apparatus, 0 is a hubwhich is journaled on the hollow shaft II, resting on a collar h. Fromthe hub 0 extends one or more horizontal arms'P,from which depend aseries of stirring-fingers I P, 850.

P indicates adjustable blades secured on the upper ends of the fingers Pin such a way that when the arms P revolve the blades will cause thewater to move outward toward the sides of the tank, so that the dirtywater will not remain in the center of the tank, but will be thrust outtoward the sides, from which it is taken off through a series ofoutlet-openings N, controlled by valves 41. The stirring apparatus ismade independent of the shaft II II and is to be operatively connectedwith the said shaft at proper intervals. This connection may be made byany convenient clutch, by which the attachment and its connection withthe stirring apparatus will be within the control of the operator. Asshown, the following simple device is usedthat is to say, a ratchet 0 isformed on the upper face of the hub O and one or more pawls R pivoted toprojecting pins Q, extending out from the shaft II. The arrangement hereis such that when the shaft H is turned in one direction it will notrevolve the stirring-arms, but when reversed and turned in the otherdirection it will, by means of the pawl and ratchet described, engagethe arms and cause them to revolve with the shaft.

The last feature of the apparatus consists of the admission-valve O,which is secured on the end of the pipe B. This valve consists of acasing 0, connected by side passage 0 with the supply-pipe B and havingan exitpassage 0 in its bottom. Above and below the passage 0 are formedthe valve-seats C and 0 upon which fits a cylindrical valve 0 which isoperated by means of a spindle O, passing through the cover 0 0f thevalvecasing and connected with a lever C", which is fulcrumed on thelink 0 and provided with a ball-float C on its end. It willbe seen thatthe valve constructed in the way described will be perfectly balanced,so that there will be little or no work required in raising and loweringit. In this way I provide against the danger heretofore commonlyincident to float-valves of having the valve stick, so that there iseither an overflow of the tank or an insufficient supply of water.

L L L, 4150., indicate a series of projections extending up from thesegmental divisions of the distributing system, the function of which isto prevent the disturbance incident to the passage of a considerablebody of water through one section of the bed from being connected to theadjacent sections.

The operation of my improved filter is as follows hen it is desired tooperate the filter, the rod E E is raised, so that the valve B will bedrawn to or nearly to its uppermost position, the valve Z) is opened thevalve 19 closed, and the valve I) opened. The valves n in the conduits Nare also closed. WVater then passes through the pipe B into the top ofthe filter through the valve 0, which will remain open until the levelof water in the tank, acting on the ball 0 and through the lever G andthe rod 0, causes the valve C to seat itself on its double seats. Thewater in the tank will then pass down through the bed of filteringmaterial, (indicated at M,) and thence through the perforations K to theinside of the divisional sector-boxes, from which it passes through thepassage K and through the passages d into the chambers d, and thencethrough the open portion of the aperture d to the inside of the casingD, whence it passes through the pipes B and B? to the place of use orstorage. When it is desired to cleanse the filter, the valves Z) and bare closed, the valve 5 opened, and the valves nalso opened. Whateverwater is in the tank will then run chambers d, the apertures d and thedivisional boxes K K, &c., into the bottom of the filter-bed, passing upthrough which it escapes through the passages N N. While the water isthus passing I depress the rod E E, causing the valve D to move downwardso as to partly close the aperture (1, the point being fixed in theconstruction by the stops T. I then rotate the shaft H H through themechanism described, causing the valve 1) to rofate in the casing D.constant supply of water is passing through the uncovered portions ofthe apertures 01 to each of the sector-boxes, while, as the valverevolves, each sector-box receives in turn a greatly-accelerated supplyof water as its particular aperture 61 registers with the aperture (1 ofthe valve. In this way a constant supply of washwater is passin gthrough the whole of the filter-bed, while each portion in turn issubjected to a rapid and strong washing action, which I have found to bebest adapted for the complete and rapid cleansing of the filter. By thismethod of washing the filterbed the whole mass is constantly beingwashed and stirred up, each section at intervals is subjected to a moreviolent stirring up by wash-water, and the result is a wave-like actionaround the filter, which gives the very best cleansing results. Afterthe bed has been well washed I throw the hub 0 into operative connectionwith the rotating shaft,causing the stirring-fingers to agitate thesurface of the filter-bed, this agitation taking place while water isstill passing upward through the bed, but preferably after the functionof the valve D in supplying a rapid current to each of the segments isperformed. Thus in the construction shown the valve D is drawn up, so asto open the whole series of apertures cl to their fullest extent, andthen the shaft H H rotated in the opposite direction, so as to engage,by means of the pawls R, the hub O, which has not been in operationduring the first part of the washing action. A uniform supply of wateris thus made to pass up through all parts of the filters while thestirrers are in action.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The described method of cleansinga filter-bed which consists indirecting an upward current of water through all portions of the bed andat the same time directing a current of greater intensity through thedifferent sections of the bed in series.

2. In a filter, a valve-box D situated at the bottom thereof andconnected with the supply and delivery conduits as described havingperforations d d, &c., through its sides,

It will be seen that a a series of sectional collectors as K K, &c.,

together making up the bottom of the filter and each connecting with boxD by one of its perforations and a rotatable and longitudinally-movablevalve D working inside box D and having a side passage (1 adapted toregister with perforations d d, &c., in turn, said valve being alsoadapted to cover theperforations d orleave them wholly or partlyuncovered as described.

3. The valve-box consisting of the inner casing D having openings d cl,&c., flanges D and D and the outwardly-extending divisional webs D incombination with the outer casing D having peripheral openings d d &c.',and the rotatable and longitudinally-movable valve D having a slot d inits side adapted to register with openings (1.

4. The combination with valve D of the hollow suspended shaft H H, meansfor securing the valve to the said shaft so that they will rotatetogether while leaving the valve free to move longitudinally, means forrotating shaft H H, a shaft E attached to the valve and situated in thehollow shaft H H and means for moving said shaft E longitudinally.

5. In combination with the valve-box havin g the projecting boss 1) andcontaining the valve D the hollow suspended and rotatable shaft H Hextending over the boss D and operatively connected with the valve asdescribed and the rod E extending through and longitudinally movable inshaft H H and also operatively connected with valve D 6. In a filter,thecombination with the Valvebox having openings d d and containing thevalve D the hollow suspended and rotatable shaft H H operativelyconnected with the valve as described; the rod E extending through andlongitudinally movable in shaft H H and also operatively connected withvalve D the hub 0 supported on shaft H H as described, and means forintermittently connecting the hub O and shaft H H.

7. In combination with the valve-box containin g the valve D the hollowsuspended and rotatable shaft H H operatively connected with the valveas described; the rod E extending through and longitudinally movable inshaft H H and also operatively connected with valve D the hub 0supported on shaft H H as described and having a ratchet 0 on its face;a pawl R secured to shaft H H so that it will engage said ratchet in onedirection; and stirrers' P P secured to hub 0, all substantially asshown and described.

B. S. CHURCH. Vi tn esses LIsLE STOKES, FRANCIS T. CHAMBERS.

